Of Time and Blue Boxes
by Elle Knight
Summary: Tenth Doctor. While Rose is on a week vacation, the Doctor stumbles on a rift in time created by a devastating train accident and the death of a girl that wasn't supposed to happen. COMPLETE!
1. Meetings

I know there are about a zillion other stories like this one out there, but I thought I'd try my hand at one anyway. Keep in mind that I am fairly new to the 'Doctor Who' universe, and mistakes I have made are because of this. I do not own 'Doctor Who', (although I'd love to get my hands on David Tennant) or the song "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton. I'd like to thank my equally obsessed Who-fanatic friend, Dan, for introducing me to the wonderful new series and to Michael (you know who you are) for putting up with our ravings.

Chapter 1: Meetings 

_Just a day, just an ordinary day._

_Just trying to get by._

Clutching the warm cup of coffee to me, I tried to warm myself up. The breath of the people who rushed by me spiraled in the air. Sighing heavily, I worked my way past them, boarding the train. I checked the screen on my cell phone, finding a seat by the window. If the train left on time, I wouldn't be late for my interview. This could turn out to be a good day.

Fifteen minutes passes. I'm getting restless and the train is getting fuller. The compartment door opens with a loud "bang". I jump, slightly, in my seat. The caffeine must be getting to me. I take a deep breath, trying to relax. Internally, I'm debating if I should drown out the world with my mp3 player when a masculine voice captures my attention.

"This seat taken?" I turn towards the voice. He's tall with messy brown hair and intense brown eyes.

_Just a boy, just an ordinary boy._

_But, he was looking to the sky._

He flashes me a brilliant smile and I can't help but smile back. After a brief moment of staring at him, I force myself to focus.

"Oh, no, sorry."

"Thanks." I hadn't noticed before, but his voice carried the tones of a British accent. My gaze drifted back toward the window as I rested my head on the back of the seat.

"I'm the Doctor." I turned to look at him, again.

"Sorry, I'm not paying attention. I'm a little bit tired today." I tried again, "I'm…"

"Alix Edwards, I know." I stopped, my eyes widening. He said it so calmly, so commonly, like it was nothing.

"Who are you?" I scooted back to get a better look at him. He looked perfectly harmless, albeit a bit mismatched, in his brown pinstripe suit and white tennis shoes.

"I'm the Doctor," he repeated, enthusiastically.

"Doctor of what? Medicine, psychology?"

"Just the Doctor."

"I don't know who you are or how you know me, but I'm not sitting here any more." I stood, glancing around. The car was full. I let out an aggravated groan.

"Problem?" He asked, innocently.

"Well, at least I don't have to talk to you," I muttered, sitting down again. I pressed myself further against the window.

"I suppose, then, that you want to have nothing to do with hearing about the train accident that's going to occur in…uh…" he looked up, briefly, toward the ceiling, "twenty-two minutes."

"What?" Fear seized me. I thought of the countless movies I'd seen where a supposedly "nice" man sat next to an unsuspecting victim on an airplane or train and forced them to go along with their demands.

"What do you want me for?"

"You're going to help me."

_And as he asked me to come along,_

_I started to realize,_

_That everyday he finds just what he's looking for._

"No!" I took out my phone, my fingers already punching in 911. "I'm calling the police. If you're some terrorist or something, they should know. I'm not going to let you kill all these people." He looked appalled at that.

"Who said it was going to be me?" He grabbed the phone from my hands, pressing the "END" button.

"Hey!" I shouted, reaching for it. He handed it back.

"There's no need for the police. They wouldn't believe you anyway. I need your help, though, and you have to be calm if you expect to help me in keeping everyone here alive." He stood up, holding out his hand to me. I just stared at him for a long while. "I'm here to help."

_Like a shooting star, he shines, and he says,_

_Take my hand,_

_Live while you can._

His tone was so sincere, that I couldn't help but put my hand in his.

Together, we made our way down the aisle to the next train car. He was leading us toward the front of the train where the conductor was.

"What's your plan?" I asked, quietly. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and brought out a thin leather wallet. He flipped it open, showing it to me. Inside was a small pad of blank paper. "But, there's nothing on it." He looked at the paper for a moment, before glancing back at me.

"You can't see that?"

"No, is something supposed to be there?"

"Yes. It's psychic paper. Right now, I'm projecting the credentials for a Railway Agent on to it. It takes a very special person to see what's really there." His curious gaze rested on me, and I felt like I was being studied.

"What are you going to tell the conductor?"

"That I'm from the Railway Agency and that I've gotten word that the train is running on the wrong track. Hopefully, he'll believe me before the crash happens."

"Crash!" I squeaked. He held up a finger to his lips.

"Quiet, we have to keep this very quiet. We don't want to cause a mass panic. Now, what were you imagining?"

"A bomb, a terrorist plot. Something like that." He smiled.

"Alix, you have a far too active imagination." Something was still nagging at me, and I realized then what it was.

"How do you know all of this, and why did you choose me? What's so special about me that you've got me mixed up in this whole crazy rescue mission with you? Are you really from the government or some secret agency?"

"No, I'm just the Doctor. This is what I do. Although, this situation is a bit different then what I'm used to dealing with. This wasn't supposed to happen, originally. Could be any number of things, but now that I've found it I'm going to have to do something about it." We came to the door that lead to the conductor's car. "And I'm really going to need your help. Just go along with me, and you'll be fine. We'll get out of this."

"Okay," I answered, squeezing his hand. "I think I'm ready." He smiled,

"Good." He knocked three times on the door. "Railway Agency. I'm here about some conflicts in the train schedules. Very important." It was a moment before the door slid open.

"Yes?" The conductor was an older, tired looking man. He studied us, momentarily, before speaking again. "Let's see your badge." The Doctor held up the small wallet with the psychic paper. The conductor seemed to approve. "Now, what's this about the schedules?"

The Doctor glanced over at me before answering,

"I've been called to tell you that the schedule you were given was wrong. The track we're on has been arranged for another train heading in the opposite direction. If we don't switch tracks at the next opportunity, we're going to have a crash on our hands." The conductor nodded in my direction.

"Who's she?"

"Oh, right. New agent, I'm training her. Brought her along on the job to show her how things work." He seemed to accept this answer.

"You said we needed to switch tracks?" The Doctor nodded. "Our last chance was about three miles back." I looked up at the Doctor, watching his face contort into an expression of intense thought.

"Get on the radio. Try contacting the station. Tell them we have a code black situation. Got it?" In a moment of panic to get on the radio, the conductor slammed the door in our faces.

"Doctor, what are we going to do?" I swallowed, trying to get the hard lump out of my throat.

"We are going to get ourselves off of this train." He took my hand again, leading me toward the opposite end of the train. "When I told you before that this wasn't supposed to happen today, I wasn't talking about the train accident." I shot him a puzzled look.

"What?"

"I was hoping that I could stop the train from crashing this time around, save more lives, but I suppose fate has other plans. It would have been a lot less complicated. I suppose I arrived a bit too late."

"This time around?"

"In the original history, everybody on the train is supposed to die, except for a single person. For some reason, this time, no one survives. I have to fix it or else time and space as we know it could be ripped apart in one huge cosmic mess."

"The death of one person is going to rip apart the whole universe?" I scoffed, trying to pull my hand from his. "This is some joke right? Something Jack and Andy planned. Who are you really, one of their stupid friends from the rugby team?"

"No." He tightened his grip, nearly running now. "I don't think you'd be laughing if you knew _you_ were that person."

_Don't you see your dreams are right in the palm of your hand?_


	2. Hopping For Your Life

Hi all! I decided to leave the lyrics out for this chapter and bring them back in the last one. Why are they stuck on a train? Well, who could resist a good train wreck scene, and that was the first place I was told about the new series, so I thought it appropriate that we put our heroes on a train. I would really, really like to include Rose in this fic. She is an amazing character, and I can really relate to her. I'm going to try to squeeze her into the next chapter if I can. Please enjoy and review if possible! Thanks!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Hopping For Your Life**

I ran harder, thankful that I hadn't given up track, even in college. As we went through each car, there seemed to be less and less passengers. The ones that were crowded in the seats shot us strange looks.

"Late for a very important appointment; can't be missed," the Doctor quipped. In any other situation, I would have laughed.

"Ooof!" I ran into the Doctor as he stopped, suddenly. Turning to be, he flashed me another brilliant smile. "Sorry." Tugging his hand from mine, he worked on opening the heavy, metal door at the end of the car. It wouldn't budge.

"That's all right," he said, reaching into his coat. "Easily fixed." He waved what looked like a metallic tube at me. Flipping a switch on the side, the tip lit up with blue light. It only took a few seconds before the door clicked open.

"What is that thing, your magic wand?" I had long since accepted that he wasn't everything he appeared to be.

"Something like that."

"I'm never going to get a straight answer from you, am I?" I was aggravated with the cryptic answer he'd just given me. I glanced at him, waiting for some kind of response. He was surveying the small room at the very end of the train. There was a screened in door right ahead of us with the latch undone. That was all that was between us and the track that stretched out behind.

"We're jumping, aren't we?" A feeling of nausea crept over me.

"I don't think we have another choice. The train is due to crash in three minutes and the breaks are faulty." Taking a shaky breath, I joined hands with him, again. "I knew you'd see it my way." He flashed me that brilliant trademark smile, bringing me a bit of reassurance.

Stepping up to the door, I closed my eyes. The roar of the train filled the car, and a harsh wind hit my face. I held tighter to the Doctor's hand.

"We go on three. One…"

"Two," I supplied, shakily. I was tugged out of the car, freefalling for a brief second, then rolling on sharp gravel. Someone was screaming in the distance. It was only when I tried to take a breath that I realized it was me. I stopped, breathing heavily.

"C'mon." The Doctor's voice was above me, his hands pulling me up. I opened my eyes. We were running again, running along the gravel to the side of the tracks. We ambled down the grassy hillside where there was a park stretched out below.

"Where are we going?" I panted. I just wanted to stop, to sit. My limbs were sore, and I couldn't stop the sudden chill that was coming over me.

"Somewhere I can take a look at you." We stopped at a bench shaded by a small grove of trees. "Sit," he commanded, kneeling in front of me. He fished the metallic tube out of his pocket, again. Switching it on, he ran it over my head, hands, arms, chest and legs. I waited, hardly breathing, for something more to happen. The faint buzzing noise was starting to give me a headache.

"All done," he announced, cheerfully, returning the tube to the inside of his jacket. "_I'd_ say you're fine…but are you fine?" He mumbled to himself. His eyebrows knit together; he seemed to be studying me. I looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

"I'm _fine_." We remained this way for a long moment before he smiled.

"I suppose you are." Subconsciously, we joined hands, walking. "Still, I 'd like a nice sit down with a cup of tea. Care to join me?" He cocked his head at me on an awkward angle, his face taking on a sort of half-questioning, half-amused look. An irrational feeling of white-hot anger spread through me. I stepped out in front of him, walking backwards.

"We just jump out of the back of a train, and you're asking me if I want to have tea!"

"Hadn't occurred to me that was weird, but I suppose now that you mention it.." His face contorted into an overly exaggerated, thoughtful expression. My headache was growing into a piercing migraine.

"I don't think-" I collapsed and he darted forward, catching me. The dizziness was overwhelming, and I rested my forehead against his shoulder as he lowered me to the ground.

"Shock," he explained. "Fortunately, I came prepared." Lifting me into his arms, he carried me toward a large blue box hidden carefully within the bulk of the trees.


	3. Forever and Goodbye

We've reached the second to the last chapter! Woo hoo! Exams have been the thief of my time, lately, and I've had this chapter written for about a week and have not had the opportunity to post. (I should really be studying, but, oh well.) I hope it will be worth the wait! Just in case anyone was wondering (I know some of you were) I am planning on writing a sequel or a couple of one-shots to follow up this story. This is not meant to be shippy between Alix and The Doctor, though it may come across that way (a bit). I have plans for her to be with someone else in the follow up story(ies). Hugs from Nine and Ten for anyone who can guess who:-)

This chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewers **HoVis**, **brmngirl**, and **DarkAngelPearl**! You guys rock! Here's a new chappie for you! Hope you enjoy!

Slight Ten/Rose; very, very slight. I just couldn't help but slip that in there. ;-)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Forever and Goodbye**

"It's a TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space." I could hardly pay attention to what he was saying. The inside of the otherwise normal looking police box was filled with a large room of twisting tree-like structures. In the middle of these strange sculptures was a control panel that blinked various colors. A clear column stretched up to the ceiling in the middle of it all. I nearly fell out of the Doctor's arms in shock.

He sat me down next to the massive control panel. In front of the chair there were several screens. Only two had images displayed on them. One showed the small grove of trees outside of the police box. The other displayed a map in a language unknown to me. I leaned forward, studying it.

"It's Gallifreyan," he explained. I jumped at his voice, and he reached out to steady me.

"Is that where you're from?" He backed away.

"I'll answer all of your questions at tea. Right now, I imagine you're cold. So, let's get something to warm you up a bit." His voice rose with these last words. Bounding across the room, he opened a panel in the wall. There, nicely folded, was a flannel blanket.

"Thanks, old girl. I'm glad you approve." He seemed to be talking to the…TARDIS as if it was alive.

"Yes, she's alive. She's a working, thinking, living mechanism, and I wouldn't have it any other way." He patted the console, lovingly. I was taken aback.

"Can you read minds?" Walking over to me, he draped the blanket over my shoulders.

"Sometimes. You were projecting so loudly, I couldn't help but hear." He winked. "C'mon, tea's this way." He led me to a normal looking kitchen complete with a small dining table. I sat, watching him dance as he poured milk in to two cups.

"There you are." He set down the tea in front of me. "Tea with milk, extra sweet. Should help you feel better." He took the seat across from me. "So, I suppose I owe you quite an explanation."

"That would be much appreciated," I laughed, cautiously sipping my tea.

"Well, this," he gestured around, wildly, "is the TARDIS, as I said before. She's how I get around in time."

"So you're a time traveler." It didn't seem so strange to me, anymore, that this could actually be the truth. "Is that how you know my name?" He nodded, taking a long sip from his cup. "Do you know anything else about me?" I was suddenly very anxious.

"You mean like family, friends, what you like to do on your weekends off, favorite music, your pets' names, worst fear, worst crush?" He numbered them off with his fingers.

"Yeah."

"Haven't got a clue." He smiled, and I relaxed. "All I knew was that there was a disturbance, a burp, if you will, in time. You don't see that sort of thing that often, an' that's good. No cause to worry then."

"Why is it that history…changed?" I hadn't quite grasped the full concept of all of this yet. Half of me was intrigued to hear what he had to say; the other half was convinced I'd gone mad. I couldn't remember jumping from the train very clearly. Maybe I'd hit my head rolling on the ground?

"Could be any number of things. Could be time just acting up. Black hole in the universe, somewhere, changing. Stars exploding. That sort of thing. It can be disastrous if you ignore it. That's why I had to get off the train." I blinked, hard, looking into his eyes. There was something he was still holding back. I decided not to press further, he had told me enough already.

"I really have no idea what to say to that. It boggles the mind, really. I'm very thankful you saved my life, though. Is this the sort of thing you do all the time? Saving damsels in distress, I mean." I smiled, playfully.

"More or less." He got up to put his cup in the sink. "That's how I found Rose. She usually travels with me to different times, different planets. It's great to have someone so flexible on board, willing to go wherever and whenever all the time. Right now, she's on a bit of a holiday visiting her mum in London."

"So you could go virtually anywhere?"

"Anywhere." I smiled, excitedly.

Standing up, the blanket fell off of my shoulders. Seeing this, he picked it up. Feeling better?" I nodded, enthusiastically.

"I know that look!"

"What?" I feigned innocence.

"It's the look Rose always gets when she's bored." He paused, tapping his chin, thoughtfully. "I suppose I could take you to meet her. Just this once." He examined me head to toe. "Then, we can decide what we're going to do with you," he seemed to be talking to himself. "London it is then!" He spoke up, again. "I hope you brought your rain gear. It's been a bit nasty there lately." He trailed off, pressing buttons, madly, on the center panel.

"Hold on!" The clear column that rose out of the floor pumped up and down, glowing blue and green. I could feel the police box shift from under us. I held tightly to the underside of the console, steeling myself for the ride of my life.

* * *

Rose had only been awake for half an hour before sounds of the TARDIS floated through the open living room window. Jackie had woken Rose up before she made her weekly trip to the market, asking her for suggestions on dinners. She'd insisted on making Rose's little visit special for her daughter, right down to the very last detail. It was a good thing, too. Jackie probably would have badgered the Doctor into staying for dinner, or even for the night. Rose knew how he didn't like doing domestic, but would suffer through it for her. She thanked her good luck for not having to force him into anything and hoped her mum would get caught up talking with an old friend. Rose didn't doubt it.

She wondered, briefly, what trouble he'd gotten into that warranted his early trip back. He had said a week. She should have had four days left. Not that she minded him coming back a bit early, but she had really hoped that he was even the slightest bit capable of staying out of trouble when she wasn't there.

Leaving the apartment, she walked down the outside stairs, watching the TARDIS materialize in its favorite corner of the alley. The door opened and out stepped the Doctor…and a girl. She couldn't have been much younger than Rose; 17 or 18 at the most. Her dark hair was back from her face, and Rose could see a faint bruise forming on her cheek.

"Doctor!" She called to him, breaking off his conversation with the girl. He looked up smiling.

"Rose!" The girl looked up, sheepishly, giving Rose a tiny wave. Rose ran down the steps to meet them. The Doctor immediately pulled her into a hug. When she had first spotted the girl with…her Doctor (she only thought of him this way), she couldn't help but feel slight pangs of anger and jealousy. He'd left her for three days, and already, he had another person traveling with him; a girl younger than she, no less. His hug had undone all of that. She knew this isn't what it looked like, that he could be trusted. It made her somewhat angry that she'd doubted him in the first place.

"I have someone for you to meet. Rose Tyler, this is Alix Edwards." Alix held out her hand for Rose to take. She could see the uncertainty and slight bit of fear in the girl's gaze. Rose imagined she had once looked like that. Maybe they had more in common than she'd first realized.

"I've heard loads about you. He couldn't shut up all the way here." The two of them giggled.

"Never a dull moment with him, is there?" She couldn't help but be nice. The Doctor had a reason for bringing her here and she'd trust him just as she had almost everyday for the last year of her life.

"I can see you two will get on just fine." The Doctor smiled at Alix, then turned to Rose, giving her a pointed glance. "Why don't we go on in an have some tea." Putting his arms around the women, they walked. "I'll explain everything."

* * *

"How long have you been traveling with him?" It was the first time I'd been alone with Rose since I'd met her. Ever since the Doctor had left the room, she'd been studying me, looking as if she wanted to comment on everything he'd told her about our meeting, but couldn't bring herself to do it. I really wanted to make her understand that I didn't want to take her place. Ever. The opportunity had practically fallen into my lap. Who was I to refuse it? Silence reigned between us. Okay, I'd try again.

"Listen, I…"

"I know why you agreed to come with him." I let her interrupt me, listening, curiously, as to what she had to say. "It was the same reason I did it. I was nineteen, boring job, no A-levels, ordinary boyfriend. All my life I knew there was something better out there for me. Then, it came." I nodded in understanding, wanting to know where she was going with this.

"He saved me, just like he saved you, and I went with him not knowing what I'd get myself into. I've never regretted what I did, but you might." I stopped, my full attention resting on her. A cold realization spread through me. _This_ was how he was going to convince me to go back to my life? I couldn't hear this any more, so I got up, quickly, meaning to search the apartment for him.

"Wait! Please, just listen." There was alarm in her voice. "I know you have a life, a family, a future that's planned out for you. He told me. You don't want to give that up, you don't want…" Her voice faded as I stormed toward the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. I needed some fresh air.

Standing out on the balcony, I could hear the noises of the city. It was a shame I didn't have a bit more time here. I'd always wanted a tour of London. Now, it seemed like it didn't even matter. Everything that had happened in the last few hours had changed me in some small way. Rose had talked about my future; all planned out in front of me. I didn't have a say in any of it. She talked about it like it was a good thing. I scoffed. I'd lived my entire life this way, and I would have kept going, life being a blur for me, if the Doctor had never taken my hand and asked me to trust him. I was thankful that he had given me my life back in more ways than one.

I was a fool for thinking he'd ever take me with. He had Rose. I wouldn't want to get in the middle of them. I had just met him this morning, but something had instantly attracted me to him. I couldn't help it. He would be my guiding light, leading me out of the life I'd grown to hate. My stupid, romantic notions of the world had left me blind. I was a fool. Maybe it was just best if everything went back to the way it was. Turning to go back into the house and apologize to Rose, I saw that he was standing behind me. He opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it.

"Before you say anything, I was just about to come and find you. I decided I want to go home." He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Do you understand why I want this for you?" His voice was low, calm. For me? No, this wasn't for me.

"You told Rose I had a family and a career path. I didn't think you were the prying type," I snarled.

"I suppose I deserved that. I think you have the wrong idea about me, Alix. I'm not your knight and shining armor. I'm a time traveler; one who's not supposed to meddle in the natural order of things. We met by accident, by way of a mistake in time. I fixed it. It should have ended there, but you convinced me to bring you along. You thought it was going to be easy, no danger, just some fun. You never let Rose finish. When you're with me, you're never guaranteed you'll be safe. Ever. We're constantly running for our lives, looking out for everyone else, but never ourselves. You can't afford to be selfish, and you can't afford to be afraid. You have ties to your life, strong ties that you can't break, commitments to fulfill that are important to your future." He took a step closer to me, taking my hand in his. "Don't squander it away."

"But I hate it!" I wrenched my hand from his grip. I felt like a toddler having a temper tantrum. The strange sparkle that I had seen in his eyes on the TARDIS resurfaced.

"Go live it. I can't tell you what you're future will bring, but I _can_ tell you you'll be happy that you gave it another chance. What do you say?" He held out his hand to me, again.

In our earlier conversation over tea, Rose had talked about the trust she had put into the Doctor after meeting him for the first time. He'd never given her a reason to doubt him. Never. I slipped my hand into his.

"Alright." He smiled, warmly.

"Alright."

* * *

Standing outside of my small, brownstone townhouse the TARDIS looked out of place. I tried to memorize its look. Maybe if I ever saw it again…no. I told him I would try. We walked up the steps, hand in hand. I could feel the sting of tears. I'd cried when I'd hugged Rose goodbye, and I hadn't known her for more than a few hours. How could I not expect to cry when saying goodbye to him?

We stopped at the top, looking at each other for one long moment.

"I suppose this is goodbye." He shook his head.

"No, never say that. Nothing is final and forever. Not even goodbyes." That twinkle was there again.

"Thank you, so much." I broke into tears, and he pulled me to him. "You've done more for me than you'll ever know." He rubbed my back, slowly.

"Remember, Alix, you always have your future. This doesn't have to be an end." I pulled back, kissing him, lightly, on the cheek. He shot me one last, brilliant, smile, before I disappeared into the house. Locking the door behind me, I never once looked back.


	4. Take My Hand

Here it is, the much-anticipated last chapter! I decided to post in celebration of my last day of exams. I hope you really enjoy it! I had so much fun writing this story, and it's been great to know that there are people enjoying as much as me! I've succeeded! Yipee! I want to dedicate this last chapter to my faithful reviewers **DarkAngelPearl**, **brmngirl**, and **HoVis**, and my new reviewer **laced-with-fire**. You guys are absolutely FANTASTIC! I promise this is not the last time we will see Alix. I love her too much to give up on her now. Thanks for reading guys! Now, here it is, the last chappie.

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**Chapter 4: Take My Hand**

**Five Years Later**

_Just a dream, _

_Just an ordinary dream _

_As I wake in bed._

Waking up, I groaned loudly when I realized Paul wasn't in the bed next to me. It had been a month already, and I still woke up some days thinking he was still there. He left for the same reason that they all leave…Him. No one has ever really believed what happened on that day, and I would have thought it was all a dream, myself; except for the odd occasion when I see a blue police box on a random street corner and know he's there.

_And that boy,_

_That ordinary boy, _

_Was it all in my head?_

I was always tempted to seek the Doctor out. I imagine it wouldn't have been hard, but I know I wouldn't have the courage to approach him; to talk to him face to face. I'd scream, I'd yell for what he'd done to me. Why couldn't I just accept it? I sighed, heavily, getting out of bed. I'd need to get moving now if I wanted to make the 6:00 train.

_Did he ask if I would come along?_

_It all seemed so real._

The train. Where I'd first met him. Why was I thinking about this now? I started the shower, letting steam fill the whole bathroom. I breathed deeply, stepping into the shower, trying desperately to wash the memories of the Doctor away.

* * *

I welcomed the usual, busy sounds of the city. If I got caught up in it, I wouldn't have to think. The walk from the station to my office wasn't that far. So, I bought a coffee from a corner vendor, knowing I had time to sit down. I stared out at the heavy traffic, letting my mind drift. It was a beautiful, normal morning in the city and nothing was going to ruin that. I was suddenly pulled from my thoughts by the sound of several beeping cars. There was a man in a khaki duster weaving in and out of traffic. There were countless people yelling at him, swearing at him, to get out of the road. From what I could see, he didn't seem to care and continued his way toward my side of the street. 

I tried my best to ignore it. There were crazies in the city all the time. The scene came as no surprise to me. In every other situation, I would have looked the other way and gone up to my office, but no one else seemed to see the taxi driving right toward him. It didn't look like it was planning to stop, and before I knew it I had dropped my coffee and started running for the street. He was nearly on the curb, and I grabbed his shoulders. We tumbled to the ground, and I landed on top of him.

_When I hurried to the door I saw that boy,_

_Standing there with a deal._

"Thanks very much. I think you've saved my life." I stopped, quickly moving away from him.

"No!" I whispered, studying him carefully. He'd looked the same as that day I gave him my hand on the train. "Doctor?" I managed to squeak out. Standing, he held out his hand to me.

"Did you miss me?" He looked entirely nonplussed by the whole situation.

"That's all you can say to me after all of this time?" There was no mistaking the anger in my voice. He smiled. He wasn't taking this as I had anticipated. I wanted him to be hurt, to be mad. "No, this isn't funny!"

"I'm not laughing," His voice was soft now, calm. I instantly felt guilty. "Alix, I'm sorry I never had a chance to explain this to you." There was that twinkle again. "You were always meant to be with me, to travel the stars in the TARDIS. I just met you a bit too early."

"What?" I was in disbelief.

"Maybe we could go somewhere and talk?"

How many times had I wanted this? To say what was on my mind to him.

"I know a little café down the street, we can go there." He took my hand just like on that one day, and we walked away from the busy city street.

* * *

"I was always meant to come back for you. I just couldn't tell you. I couldn't mess with your history. Nasty business." 

Here I was, sitting down for tea with him again just as if we'd done this everyday for the past five years. He was saying all those things I'd wanted him to say in the first place; things I couldn't bring myself to ask him to do. I'd never been happy with my life since he'd left. I couldn't keep a steady boyfriend; I had the same old dead end job, the same old routine to my life. I just wanted to keep going for him; it's what he wanted. There was always hope, and hope had paid off.

"Do you remember me telling you that day on the train about the original history of the crash changing, and that's why I'd come to save you? I did a little digging after I dropped you off. Apparently, the rift was created by a rival Time Lord of mine who hasn't existed for many years. His action echoed through time. What I wondered was, why you? I'd never seen you before, but you had to be important to me in some way. I didn't even know what it really meant until Rose left."

"Wait, Rose left you?" I was surprised at that.

"Yep. She'd been traveling with me for six years. That's a very, very long time for you all. She felt like she needed to go on with her life, to try to start a family, get a decent job. We still keep in touch, though. It seems like she really can't do without me." His voice came out sad, despite the sudden amusement on his face. "She told me to find someone new who could help me; that it was their turn now. That's when I thought of you."

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

"Why else would a rival Time Lord want to attack you to get to me? You were going to be the next traveler!" I couldn't miss the excitement in his voice, and his hands jerked with his every word. "You were the person who would fill in the gap Rose left! You were smart enough, passionate enough, and certainly willing enough to always come with me. I manipulated the TARDIS' computers a bit, and was able to get information on the original history, which we restored when me met. It seemed that we were supposed to meet for the first time on this date when you saved me from getting killed in the middle of the street just minutes ago." I raised my eyebrows at him, scarcely believing what he was saying.

"So, we were supposed to meet."

"Yep, on this date, in this place, in this hour."

_And he said,_

_Take my hand,_

_Live while you can._

"What if I say no?" Really, I was just playing Devil's advocate. I had no real reason to refuse him. I didn't have a husband or a job that guaranteed I'd stay in one place for long. I was alone. Part of me felt funny taking Rose's place. I'd never wanted to intrude on them that day; I'd felt their connection, their bond to one another. What would he do now that I was with him? I'd never thought of him in that way; maybe as a hero, but never as someone I could love in the romantic sense. Was he just using me to feel whole again?

"I know what you're thinking."

"Of course you do." He smiled at that.

"You wouldn't be taking anyone's place, or filling a void. I _want_ you to come. You were meant to come. What have do you have to lose?" I didn't have anything. That was the whole point. The decision I'd always thought would be easy now scared me.

There was a long moment of silence until he took my hand in his. I looked up at him, curious.

"Alix, you were obviously meant to do great things. Yes, traveling with me is dangerous, it always will be, but it's been five years. I'm certain you're ready now to go on, to face enemies with me and to claim victories; small and large. Why else would you really be thinking this over now? You understand." He let go of my hand, sitting up. "Of course, the final decision is yours and it always will be. Know that you're never stuck traveling with me. If you don't want to be with me anymore, you can say so. I'll take you home." Like Rose. I shuddered. If I began this, there would have to be an end. Where would I be then?

I thought about my life, carefully. What did I really have, and what had I always wanted? I had a father and a sister who lived hours away and rarely ever called. I had a job that had always been the same, I was young and rarely did they ever take me seriously. I had very few friends because I was always trying to get ahead on my work to please everyone else. I had a streak of failed relationships that never seemed to be real. I sighed, heavily. What had I always wanted? Adventure; and now he was offering it to me. It was within my grasp. I would take it.

_Don't you see your dreams are right in the palm of your hand?_

"Yes," I whispered, words that had truly wanted to pass my lips the moment he had given me the chance.

"Yes! Oh, wonderful!" He stood up, forgetting all about his half-filled cup. "Wait 'til Jack hears about this!"

"Wait a sec, who's Jack?" He stopped, suddenly, caught up in deep thought.

"You mean, I never told you about Jack?"

"No. Who is he?"

"An old friend. Someone who used to travel with Rose and I before I met you. I caught up with him right before Rose left. He's a wonderful help with fixing the TARDIS and all. I really couldn't afford to get rid of him. He's from the 51st century, and adapting quite nicely, I would say."

"Fifty-first century? Is he an alien or something?"

"No, but he certainly has some interesting ideas about them." I was afraid to ask what that meant. "We actually stopped in the first place so he could do some work on the TARDIS. He should still be in there now. C'mon!" With that he took my hand, leading me out to the end of the street where the familiar blue police box sat just around the corner.

"It never changes," I muttered in amusement, following the Doctor in. There, under the TARDIS' central panel was a body, its legs stretched out onto the floor.

"That you Doctor?" I was surprised to hear the voice that had come up from the panel had an accent very similar to mine.

"Yep, and I brought a friend."

"You finally snagged her, 'eh?" He teased.

"What did you tell him about me?" I whispered toward the Doctor.

"Well, just that you were an old friend coming to travel with us; and I might have mentioned that you were a bit of a romantic, but that's about it." He smiled, weakly.

"All done," the voiced announced, working its way out from the console. Soon, I was face to face with his striking blue eyes and boyish features.

"Jack, this is Alix Edwards."

"Hi, I've heard so much about you. It's nice to put the name to a face." He held out his hand for me to shake, smiling warmly.

"Hi…wonderful to meet you." I couldn't seem to want to remove my hand from his grasp.

"Ahem." The Doctor cleared his throat very close to my ear. I tugged my hand away, quickly.

"Sorry," I apologized, sheepishly. Jack only smiled back.

"I'm glad to see you two getting on well. Hmmm…maybe a little too well. Good thing I'm here to chaperone!" He moved to press several buttons on the panel. "I think we're ready to go!" He began pressing buttons, manically.

"You get used to it," Jack commented, moving to hold on to the console. I followed his example.

"He was like this the first day I met him. I'd just forgotten how obsessed he gets when driving this thing." I laughed. The TARDIS shimmied from side to side, forcing me to hold on even tighter.

"Here," Jack offered, placing his hand over mine, clutching the panel, tightly. "That's better." I smiled.

"Much."

As the TARDIS hurdled through time, I studied the room around me. This was my new life. A life I had chosen for myself. I then gazed at the Doctor, patting the console, whispering to it, and Jack smiling as he held my hand. This is the life I'd chosen, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

_Just a day,_

_Just an ordinary day._

_Just trying to get by._

_Just a boy,_

_Just an ordinary boy,_

_But he was looking to the sky.

* * *

_

I couldn't resist putting Jack in there. I adore him, and it seemed to add something to the story for me. I should be back soon with a one shot about the Doctor, Alix, and Jack. Stay tuned, and please review!


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